Born of Fire: The Dawn of Legend (14 page)

Bending down, Rex grabbed hold of the tri-leaved plant at his feet and effortlessly pulled it free, but lost his balance and fell hard on his rear.

“Are you all right?” she laughed as she took his hand and helped him to his feet.

“Yeah,” he replied, disgruntled, as he brushed the dirt away from his backside.

“If you use that much strength for each of those, you’ll tire yourself out before we’re done,” said SilKar. “Though I appreciate your enthusiasm.”       With that, he went back to work while DiNiya gave Rex a playful nudge before getting back to work. Rex shrugged his shoulders and cracked his neck before joining suit.

They worked throughout the morning, stopping for lunch around midday before returning to the field to continue picking more of the large root crops. Rex was continuously surprised by how effortlessly DiNiya pulled the now almost full wagon. They had already unloaded it and refilled it four times without her so much as showing any hint of physical strain or fatigue. During all that time, she and SilKar told Rex all about the harvest season and the various trips to the Northern Capital to barter portions of the various crops for those from all over EeNara. They both seemed particularly enthusiastic about one called elix, which—if he understood their explanation—sounded like something that could be made into cake.

Midday stretched into late afternoon, and they brought the last cartful to a larger one being pulled by TemBol.

“Here is the last of them,” DiNiya said, wiping her brow with her arm.

“Nice work,” TemBol said, surveying the large wagon. “Both of you.”

“There were three of us, you know,” SilKar said sarcastically while nipping at an insect in his feathers.

“Oh, and how difficult the task must have been for you to have so desperately needed the aid of two young SaVarians,” TemBol mused.

“Oh, ha ha,” SilKar replied, rolling his eyes. “Anyway, you two are free to go. Thank you for working so hard today.”

“A pleasure as always,” DiNiya said, giving the two DyVorians a hug. “Come on, Rex, time to go to the shop.”

Rex said goodbye to both of them before turning to follow DiNiya back up the bluff towards the enormous entrance to KaNar’s inner sanctum. They stayed to the left with the others who were also entering, while the right side seemed to be reserved for those leaving.
Like lanes of traffic,
he thought. They moved through the dimly lit cave, which was only twenty or so yards, before stepping out into a large open crevice full of shops and homes that had been built right out of the stone walls and out of the enormous building-size trees that grew throughout the interior.

The architecture looked very organic and in harmony with the conformity of the topography, while making a definite impression with beautiful archways and intricate carvings. The windows to all the shops were open, with people talking to each other. The streets were filled as they moved in and out of all the various shops, trading all manner of goods. Rex looked up and saw pterosaurs, or rather CyTorians as he had been told they were called, flying overhead and stopping at various windows, giving what looked like scrolls to various recipients. Rex was amazed by how busy everything looked. It was different from the world he came from in that the people here seemed happy, possessing a positive nature. All around him he could hear cheerful banter, something that differed greatly from the towns and cities he was accustomed to.

“Ah, good afternoon, DiNiya,” said a large man that must have stood over three meters with a long brown beard and fur that was tied back and went down to his waist.

“Good afternoon, TarFor,” replied DiNiya politely as she and the man exchanged the usual EeNarin greeting of pressing forearms together.

“Off to the shop?” TarFor asked, eyeing them both inquisitively.

DiNiya nodded. “We just finished in the fields, and Rex hasn’t seen it yet, so I thought now would be a good opportunity.”

“Yes, I heard TemBol put the newest member of KaNar to work this morning,” he said, smiling down at Rex with his hands on his hips. “He seemed rather pleased with how well you did. Looks like you’re making a good impression on everyone, lad.”

“Thank you,” said Rex awkwardly. His thoughts were interrupted by a heavy hand coming down hard on his shoulder.

“Well, my boy, if you are ever in need of advice on any matter, do not hesitate to seek me out,” the large man said proudly.

“TarFor here fancies himself the tribe’s guru, as you’ll come to find,” DiNiya said with a sly smile.

“Go ahead and make jest, my lady,” TarFor replied, crossing his arms stoically. “But many a young man has benefited from the wisdom I bestow.” He leaned in close to Rex and said in a hushed tone and with a toothy grin, “Especially the ones looking to court strong ripe females who, like them, are coming into season.” DiNiya gave him a light punch in his side, causing him to rise back up quickly. “That is, of course, if you ever have someone in mind. Anyway, I must be off. Have a bit of trading to do in town. Tell your father I’ll be at the tavern tonight if he wants a rematch,” he added with a grin.

DiNiya laughed, “After what you did to him last time, I doubt he will, but I will be sure to pass the message on to him just the same.”

TarFor nodded, then turned and disappeared into the crowd, something that would have been hard for a man his size to do back on Earth, but when one considered that some of KaNar’s people walking the streets were as large as some of the dwellings, it was not so surprising.

“Come on,” DiNiya said with a smile as they continued down the stone street.

“What did he mean by a rematch with your father?” asked Rex.

DiNiya rolled her eyes and laughed. “We here in EeNara are a culture descended of warriors, meaning that we are vulnerable to certain…enticements.” She looked over at Rex, who stared at her blankly, awaiting further explanation, as he generally did every time he did not understand something. Unable to help but be amused, she fought to suppress her laughter as she went on. “In other words, we sometimes engage in sporting matches of combat.”

“You mean they brawl?” Rex laughed. “Awesome.”

“Awesome?” DiNiya asked, confused.

“I used to play fight all the time when I was little with all the guys in my neighborhood,” Rex explained, recalling one of the few fond memories he had. “Don’t remember losing much; probably why they stopped playing with me.”

“No, I meant, what did you mean by awesome?” she explained. “It didn’t make sense in relation to what I was saying.”

Rex looked at her, confused, before it dawned on him. Many of the colloquialisms he was accustomed to using every day would not make sense to people here—something he had taken for granted and did not realize until just now.

“It’s just a figure of speech where I’m from,” he explained. “Sorry.”

“No need to apologize,” she said, giving him a light punch in the shoulder. “But please tell me more about the way the tribes of Earth speak.”

As they continued down the street, Rex went over different slang words and their meanings, stopping only when DiNiya had a question. He was amazed by how inquisitive she was. Everything he told her seemed to fascinate her, and she always had an endless string of questions for each topic.

Rounding a corner, they made their way up an incline to a shop overlooking a beautiful lake in the middle of a section of town connected to a river that led out of the mountains. “Here we are,” she said, opening the door.

Stepping through, Rex found himself in what looked like an expansive library filled with books and scrolls as well as random items of all shapes, sizes, and not-so-apparent purposes. “Wow,” he exclaimed in a hushed tone as he surveyed the room. “What is all of this?”

“Antiquities, mostly,” DiNiya said, closing the door behind them. “My father has always been something of a collector. Eventually, it evolved into trading, and he was able to open up this shop.”

“Who does he trade with?” he asked, eyeing the spine of a book with intricate etchings.

“Traveling merchants who pass through, mostly, but he does a fair share with the locals.”

“Awesome,” he said before catching himself, looking back at DiNiya apologetically.

“It’s okay,” she said, smiling. “I knew what you meant this time.”

Rex walked around the room, taking in all he saw. He looked up and saw an upstairs railing made from hardened vines growing out of the wall with a row of books and scrolls. Hundreds of tablets covered in hieroglyphics leaned against the walls of the shop, and statues of DyVorians lined the shelves and countertops. “Your father sells all of these things?”

“Sells?” DiNiya asked, cocking her head.

“Yeah, you know, he’s got to earn a living, right, or is this just a hobby of his?”

“I’m not sure I follow, but as I said, my father does do a fair amount of trading here in the shop as well as abroad.”

“That’s right, I forgot you people don’t use money,” he said, remembering their conversation from that morning. “So what kind of things do you trade for?”

“It varies,” she explained. “But usually other relics. However, what we really like getting our claws on are scrolls or books. Particularly those of paleontology or geology.”

“Why’s that?” he asked while admiring a stone bust of what looked to be a hadrosaurid with an enormous crest.

“To learn of the past,” she replied, jumping up to sit on the counter. “All we know of SaVarian history stems from legends passed down by the various tribes and remains of early civilizations we uncover. There is so much we have yet to learn about where we came from as well as the natural history of the world.”

“Yes, but how do you know it’s legit?” he asked. “What makes you so sure the stories are all true?”

“I suppose there is no foolproof method of discerning such a thing from just them alone. That’s why we cross-reference them with actual knowledge we possess and do our best to sift through what is fact and fantasy. That’s the main reason why our entire society puts so much emphasis on natural and archeological sciences.”

Rex stood in silence, feeling suddenly awkward by how the mood changed in the room. Fortunately for him, DiNiya smiled and shook her head. “Like you with me, I keep forgetting you don’t yet know all the ways of EeNara.”

“Looks like it will be a learning experience for the both of us.”

“I have a feeling you’re right about that,” she said before jumping down from the counter. “Come with me. I want to show you something.”

DiNiya took him upstairs to the landing, which led to a spiraled staircase. They ascended it and reached a glass dome, which opened up to an outside balcony. DiNiya pushed open the glass and wooden door, and the two stepped outside. From their high vantage point, they watched as the people moved to and fro about the busy streets. Rex could see that the entire town truly had been built to conform organically with the mountain forest landscape, with homes and shops appearing to grow out of the geology and huge trees themselves.

“You can see most of KaNar from here,” said DiNiya. “What do you think?”

“I’m not sure what to think,” Rex replied. “This place keeps making me question everything I thought I knew.”

“Are you always so internal?” she asked.

Rex turned to her with a furrowed brow. “What do you mean?”

“What I mean is that you seem to internalize your feelings too much,” she replied earnestly. “Are you really always this somber?”

Rex went to speak but suddenly realized he did not know how to respond. He never thought of himself as somber or much of anything for that matter; rather, he was just himself. Always had been. The way he was, in fact, was the only way he knew how to be.

“I’m sorry,” he heard her say, and he looked up to see her looking at him with concern in her eyes despite her attempt at a smile. “I didn’t mean—”

“Don’t worry about it,” he replied, cutting her apology short. He looked down at his shoes for a moment before looking back at her with a smile. “You’re probably right. I guess I’m still having a hard time accepting all of this. I keep thinking I’m dreaming and that I need to get out.”

“Why’s that?”

Rex sighed heavily and looked back out the window. “Because all my dreams eventually turn into nightmares.”

“Then let the nightmares come,” she said as she took his hand once more. “We will face them together.”

Rex smiled. “Are you always so deep?” he mused.

“What?”

“I mean, I feel like we should start weeping in each other’s arms,” he laughed.

“Oh, shut up,” she replied as she punched him in the arm, then turned away, blushing.

Rex continued to chuckle when they were interrupted by the wood chimes over the front doors downstairs. They descended the spiral staircase, and from the balcony landing saw BaRone walking behind the counter. “Hello, Father,” DiNiya said as she gingerly made her way down to greet him.

“Hello, sweetheart, I didn’t realize you were already here,” BaRone said, rummaging through some scrolls under the counter before standing back up to give her a hug. Glancing up, he saw Rex descending the stairs. “Ah, Rex, sorry I didn’t see you there. You’re so quiet.”

“Apparently the word is ‘internal,’” he said, giving a thin smile to DiNiya, who in turn flashed a look of embarrassment that Rex found amusing.

“Well, in any case, I’m glad both of you are here. Take a look at what recently came into my possession.” He opened up a large scroll and laid it flat on the countertop. It was covered in hieroglyphics, much like the ones Rex saw the other night. However, many of them were covered with caked-on material, making only parts of the scroll legible.

“It looks like a…record…some kind of account of something,” DiNiya spoke as she studied all the visible symbols intently. “But it’s from an older dialect, so I can’t make it all out,” she concluded, looking back up at her father.

“Unfortunately, not many people can,” BaRone said, folding it back up. “I’ll have to get someone who specializes in this sort of thing to transcribe it.”

“Here, I’ll put it downstairs with the others,” she said as she took the cylinder from him and walked down a staircase in the back.